Suvendu Adhikari eats fish bhog at Kalighat amid Bageshwar Baba row: What sparked the controversy?
NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday visited Kolkata's Kalighat Temple and partook of the traditional fish and pulao bhog, days after Dhirendra Krishna Shastri triggered a row by asking Bengalis to give up non-vegetarian food during Durga Puja .
The visit came as the controversy over Shastri’s remarks continued to grow, with leaders across parties, including the BJP, pushing back against alleged attempts to dictate Bengal’s food habits.
Speaking to reporters after offering prayers, Adhikari described Kaushiki Amavasya as a significant occasion in Sanatan culture and said that the festival was being observed with devotion at major temples across the state, including Kalighat and Tarapith.
"Today is Kaushiki Amavasya. Today is a very big day in our Sanatan culture, a major worship (Mahapuja). Whether it is Kalighat here or Tarapith there, it is happening simultaneously," Adhikari said.
"State-level worship is being held in Tarapith. Here in Kalighat, all our lighting has been set up; it is an atmosphere of celebration throughout," he added.
Adhikari said Kolkata holds a special spiritual significance, recalling its association with Maa Kali, Maa Durga, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Maa Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
"This is a spiritual land. It is the land of Ma Kali, the land of Ma Durga, the land of Thakur Ramakrishna Dev, the land of Ma Sarada Devi, the land of Swami Vivekananda, and the land of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu," he said.
BJP Bengal also posted Adhikari's photo and said, "On the sacred occasion of Kaushiki Amavasya, chief minister Shri Suvendu Adhikari offered prayers to Maa Kali at Kalighat and, following the temple’s traditional customs, partook of the sacred bhog of pulao and fish."
This comes days after Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, during his visit to West Bengal for a three-day Hanumant Katha in Howrah's Liluah, appealed to Bengali Hindus to observe Navratri with devotion and sincerity.
What is the controversy
During his visit to Bengal, Shastri had appealed to Bengalis to give up non-vegetarian food during the Durga Puja festivities and described those who eat meat on religious occasions as “hypocrites”.
Fish and meat are closely associated with traditional cuisine in West Bengal, while religious practices vary across communities and regions.
Shastri's remarks also led to a rare display of unity between Congress and BJP as both parties rejected the godman's advice, saying personal views should not dictate what Bengali society should eat.
On Tuesday, Congress lodged a police complaint against Shastri, asserting that the call was “intended to create disharmony”.
In the complaint submitted to the officer-in-charge of Kolkata’s Bhawanipore police station, the South Kolkata District Congress Committee alleged that Shastri made “derogatory” comments during an event in Howrah on September 5.
“We want to apprise you that immediate administrative action needs to be initiated, and an FIR needs to be registered with necessary arrests. His remarks could spark disharmony in society and were against the democratic spirit,” Congress leader Pradip Prasad said in the complaint, according to PTI.
Meanwhile, BJP West Bengal chief Samik Bhattacharya said that Bengalis would “continue to eat what they have been eating”.
“We generally eat ‘luchi’ on Ashtami and goat meat on Navami. We will continue to do that. Nobody can tell the people of West Bengal what they should eat,” Bhattacharya said.
“Let me live the way I want to. Bengalis will eat what they have been eating. Can Bengalis not eat fish and meat?” he asked, quoting Swami Vivekananda.
The visit came as the controversy over Shastri’s remarks continued to grow, with leaders across parties, including the BJP, pushing back against alleged attempts to dictate Bengal’s food habits.
Speaking to reporters after offering prayers, Adhikari described Kaushiki Amavasya as a significant occasion in Sanatan culture and said that the festival was being observed with devotion at major temples across the state, including Kalighat and Tarapith.
"Today is Kaushiki Amavasya. Today is a very big day in our Sanatan culture, a major worship (Mahapuja). Whether it is Kalighat here or Tarapith there, it is happening simultaneously," Adhikari said.
"State-level worship is being held in Tarapith. Here in Kalighat, all our lighting has been set up; it is an atmosphere of celebration throughout," he added.
Adhikari said Kolkata holds a special spiritual significance, recalling its association with Maa Kali, Maa Durga, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Maa Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda and Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
"This is a spiritual land. It is the land of Ma Kali, the land of Ma Durga, the land of Thakur Ramakrishna Dev, the land of Ma Sarada Devi, the land of Swami Vivekananda, and the land of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu," he said.
BJP Bengal also posted Adhikari's photo and said, "On the sacred occasion of Kaushiki Amavasya, chief minister Shri Suvendu Adhikari offered prayers to Maa Kali at Kalighat and, following the temple’s traditional customs, partook of the sacred bhog of pulao and fish."
This comes days after Bageshwar Dham chief Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, during his visit to West Bengal for a three-day Hanumant Katha in Howrah's Liluah, appealed to Bengali Hindus to observe Navratri with devotion and sincerity.
What is the controversy
During his visit to Bengal, Shastri had appealed to Bengalis to give up non-vegetarian food during the Durga Puja festivities and described those who eat meat on religious occasions as “hypocrites”.
Fish and meat are closely associated with traditional cuisine in West Bengal, while religious practices vary across communities and regions.
Shastri's remarks also led to a rare display of unity between Congress and BJP as both parties rejected the godman's advice, saying personal views should not dictate what Bengali society should eat.
On Tuesday, Congress lodged a police complaint against Shastri, asserting that the call was “intended to create disharmony”.
In the complaint submitted to the officer-in-charge of Kolkata’s Bhawanipore police station, the South Kolkata District Congress Committee alleged that Shastri made “derogatory” comments during an event in Howrah on September 5.
“We want to apprise you that immediate administrative action needs to be initiated, and an FIR needs to be registered with necessary arrests. His remarks could spark disharmony in society and were against the democratic spirit,” Congress leader Pradip Prasad said in the complaint, according to PTI.
Meanwhile, BJP West Bengal chief Samik Bhattacharya said that Bengalis would “continue to eat what they have been eating”.
“We generally eat ‘luchi’ on Ashtami and goat meat on Navami. We will continue to do that. Nobody can tell the people of West Bengal what they should eat,” Bhattacharya said.
“Let me live the way I want to. Bengalis will eat what they have been eating. Can Bengalis not eat fish and meat?” he asked, quoting Swami Vivekananda.
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